Barbados

At the end of November I took a trip to Barbados with my family, my mom and my dad. My mom and dad have been tracing our family trees, and it seems certain that my dad's family has been in Barbados since the early 1700s. He left when he was 20, in April of 1957. I grew up going back and forth to the island every few years, and this trip was the second time I had taken my sons to see where their grandfather grew up. But it was the first time my dad had been back in the island since 2002, and the first visit he has been able to have to his original home with his grandchildren.

I love visiting this place. The sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the island are a part of me in ways I don't really realize until I go back. I forgot how much I miss the ocean, or the sounds of the surf at night, or the smell of mahogany furniture…All of these were formative to my growing up.

What made this trip really special was the time I spent talking to my dad about his life in the island. He has lived more than 50 years in Canada, but I was never quite clear on why he had left Barbados in the first place – I always got a vague 'there were more opportunities in Canada' explanation. But this time I really got to hear from him details about his relationship with his father, and the frustrations he felt about growing up in Barbados. I've struggled throughout my life with connecting to my father, and the moments spent with him on vacation this time were very special.

My hope as a father is that I have found a way to connect with my children at an earlier age, then what happened with my dad and I.

This was the happiest I had seen my dad in a while, especially when he was watching his grandsons, and seeing old places that had changed so much.

My sons and wife love visiting this place, and hopefully we can go back again soon.